Let’s get moving on welfare reform

Catholic Welfare Australia welcomed the Government’s release of the welfare reform publication Building a Simpler System to Help Jobless Families and Individuals launched by the Minister for Family Services and Community Services, Senator the Hon Amanda Vanstone and the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations, the Hon Tony Abbott MP.

This report has been a long time coming following the publication in July 2000 of Participation Support for a More Equitable Society prepared by the Reference Group on Welfare Reform chaired by Mr Patrick McClure.

“We welcome the invitation from the Federal Government to participate in this consultation on possible reforms of the income support system for working-aged people,” said National Director of Catholic Welfare Australia, Mr Toby O’Connor.  “Catholic Welfare Australia looks forward to elaborating on our long-held belief that if welfare reform is to be effective then more resources need to be diverted to addressing the systemic cause of poverty and to job creation schemes.”

“The focus on simplifying the current welfare payment system is a positive initiative and the Government appears genuinely interested in engaging in public debate with the community about the options for improving the current system.  However, Catholic Welfare Australia remains concerned that the Government’s efforts in welfare reform are not used as an exercise in reducing payments to people receiving income support and penalising the most financially disadvantaged in our community,” said Mr O’Connor.

Catholic Welfare Australia looks forward to being actively involved in discussing the options presented by the Government and ensuring that any attempts at welfare reform are about helping people who rely on income support, not punishing them further and making it tougher than it already is.